All Chapters of Parallel Lies: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Amelia's POVMy mother, Amy Flynn, pressed a hand against the edge of the table and let out a long sigh."Finally," she whispered, her eyes red. She was smiling. "Rosamund is coming home."My father, Roger Silverstone, wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We've waited for this for far too long."They were celebrating my replacement before I had even blown out the candles on my birthday cake. I was so stunned that all I could hear was a loud buzzing in my ears.Amy looked at me. "When did we start waiting again? Oh, right. Since you turned 6. By then, you looked less and less like her."I swallowed, but it felt as though it had gone down the wrong way. I doubled over in a violent coughing fit as tears welled in my eyes.No one tried to help.Amy had started pointing out how little I resembled my sister, Rosamund Silverstone, when I turned 6. Once, she gave me the dress Rosamund had worn at that age and forced me to put it on. It was far too small. The collar constricted my thro

Chapter 2

A feast awaited me the next morning. I had not seen such a lavish brunch in a very long time. The warmth rising from the dishes almost made me dizzy.I was allergic to seafood, and I disliked garlic and cheese. Amy knew that, yet she had made garlic bread topped with cheese and prawn pies."Rose always loved garlic bread. She said it was the best. She was always snacking on these pies too. I have to start practicing her favorite dishes before she comes home. I don't want her complaining that I'm out of practice!" Amy muttered to herself.I stared at my empty plate. Suddenly, I grabbed a piece of bread and took a large bite of the section of bread with the least garlic and forced it down, trying to swallow the anguish welling inside me.Keeping my eyes lowered, I fought to keep the tears out of my voice as I asked, "Did you remember that I'm allergic to seafood?"Amy froze in the middle of what she was doing. "Why is that a problem? Rose is coming home. We need to get used to cater

Chapter 3

I had a nightmare. When I woke up, I reached for the other side of the bed. It was a habit I had developed to comfort myself. I always felt better when I could hold my cat.My hand found nothing.My blood ran cold. I threw the blanket aside and dropped to my knees to look under the bed. Then I searched the balcony, the closet, and the couch. I searched everywhere.At last, I found its collar in the trash can. A few strands of orange fur still clung to it. I bent down to pick it up, but when I straightened, a wave of dizziness washed over me.Amy walked out of the kitchen with a spatula in her hand."Stop looking. It's gone," she said matter-of-factly. "Rose's allergic to cats. We can't have those things in the house anymore."I tightened my grip on the collar until the little bell dug into my palm.My voice trembled so violently that it startled even me. "But it's been with me for seven years. It must be scared now that it's alone. It's... not very brave..."The last words came

Chapter 4

My body seemed to calm down the moment I decided to go through with the process.I leaned quietly against my bedroom door. Through the wood, I could hear my parents talking."One more day? I can hardly wait one more day!" Amy said, lowering her voice."It's already moving as fast as it can," Roger replied."It's still not fast enough." She sighed. "Just thinking about my darling Rose having to wait one more minute breaks my heart!"For some reason, her words no longer upset me. It felt as though the crushing weight on my chest had finally begun to lift.I even found myself counting down the time until it was over.Amy showed me an album filled with cake designs. "Pick one."I pointed to the white cake with the lace-trimmed edge.She brought out a box of colorful candles. "Now pick these."I took out eight candles and lined them up on the table.Amy froze. Her eyes reddened as she looked at me."Is this cake for my farewell ceremony, or is it meant to welcome Rosamund?" I as

Chapter 5

Amy stared at the few words on the screen. Her lips trembled. "I-Is that you, Rose?"The screen flashed with new messages.[Amelia is not a vessel. She's a person! She is hurt!]Roger's expression froze. Caelan stared at me.I remained standing before them and the imaginary camera, the practiced smile still stretched across my aching cheeks.Amy cradled her phone as if it were a baby. "Don't say that! I just miss you so much, Rose. I've been waiting for you for so many years!"[I told you when I was a child. I'm sensitive to light and sound. I'm sensitive to touch.]Amy's sobs stopped abruptly. Roger's finger curled.[The doctor told you, didn't she? I'm on the autistic spectrum. I have sensory issues. And yet you convinced yourself I was just a wild, difficult child.]Silence settled over the living room.Tears still clung to Amy's face as confusion spread across her features. "What are you talking about, Rose? You were just... opinionated."A chill crawled up my spine.Ev

Chapter 6

My new mother's name was May.She drew the curtains so the sunlight fell only on the floor instead of across my face.Before she touched them, she always looked at me first. "How is this lighting, dear? Is it comfortable? Oh, should I dim it a little more? Does it make you uncomfortable if I stand here?"A lump formed in my throat. I realized she was not doing this to win me over. She genuinely wanted to make things easier for me.My new father's name was Rutger. He filled a bowl with soup before placing a spoon beside it. "Easy now. It's still a little hot. You used to have stomach problems whenever you got anxious, so it's okay if you can't finish it. Just take as many sips as you're comfortable with."I picked up the spoon. My wrist ached, and my hand trembled. I took a sip and felt the warmth slide down my throat into my empty, aching stomach. It hurt.Rutger handed me a tissue, but he did not ask why I was crying. He simply said, "Take your time, sweetie. We're in no rush."

Chapter 7

After just three days with Rosamund back home, the Silverstones had reached their breaking point.She refused to sleep in my old bed. She complained that the perfume was too strong, the bedsheets were too thin, and the lights were too bright. Yet when Amy turned the lights off, Rosamund hugged her head in fear and shuddered.Roger had run out of patience. He flipped on the living room light and growled, "What the hell do you want?"Rosamund immediately shrank against the wall, her breathing growing rapid. "Don't shout! You're hurting my ears!"Amy burst into tears. "God, Rose, I didn't bring you home just to watch you invent new ways to suffer!""I'm not making it up. I am suffering!" Rosamund protested.Amy stopped crying mid-sob. It was as though she had never heard anyone say those words to her face before.That night, she made garlic bread topped with cheese and prawn pies. "Here. Your favorite food."Rosamund sniffed them and immediately gagged, her face turning pale. "I d

Chapter 8

Third-person POVThe Silverstones finally realized that Rosamund was nothing like the person they had convinced themselves she was over the years. She had no interest in taking pictures in a little white dress or smiling behind a birthday cake. She did not want to be close to Caelan, nor did she even enjoy eating the meals they prepared half the time.She hated people touching her skin. The curtains could never be fully opened. Even the TV volume could not go above 20.At first, Amy did her best to be patient. "I know you've suffered a lot where you came from, but you have to learn to adapt to our world too!"Rosamund buried her face in her pillow, her hands seemingly glued to her ears. "I've always been like this, whether I was there or here! You're the ones who have never tried to accommodate me!"Amy wanted desperately to argue, but she could not stop thinking about the diagnosis.After hiding the report, she had even thrown away the parenting guide the psychologist had given

Chapter 9

It was midnight when Roger marched into the Parallel Universe Research Center.Amy stared at the computer screen with bloodshot eyes. She typed Amelia's name into the search bar and waited for the page to load.A single line of red text greeted her.[All of the subject's familial connections to Origin World have been removed. The subject has forfeited her right to return.]Amy refreshed the page again and again. "This can't be right! She's my daughter! Mine! She has to want to come back to me! Why can't I summon her back?!"The computer system remained indifferent.[Your familial anchor has been removed. Your request has been denied.]Roger turned to Caelan. "You have to try. She cares about you the most!"With trembling hands, Caelan logged into his account and made the same attempt.[Caelen Jackman had agreed to the Replacement. Any right to summon the subject back has been forfeited.]He stared at the words as his knees gave out beneath him. He sank to the floor with his b

Chapter 10

Amelia's POVI received a call request from my original family on the third day after I arrived in this new world.[Roger Silverstone and Amy Flynn, as well as Caelan Jackman requested a call. Do you accept it?]I sat by the window with my new cat curled up in my lap, watching the sunlight warm the back of my hand.I remembered how my vision had blurred before I was traded away. I remembered the countdown timer.May was peeling an apple for me. She paused when the app's new notification appeared."Hmm, the decision is yours, Amelia," she said.Rutger walked over with a glass of warm milk. "We can stay with you if you decide to call them. But if you don't want to talk to them, there's nothing wrong with that."I noticed Rosamund's name at the bottom of the request list and tapped it.There wasn't much, only a few lines of text.[I'm sorry for what you've been through, Amelia. I will keep telling them that we are not tools. I am not a defective, unruly child, and you're nobody'

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